Adriaen van Ostade
(1610–1685) specialized in painting scenes of country peasants such as
The Cottage Dooryard
in the Gallery's collection. Before entering
Haarlem's guild of artists in 1634, Ostade probably had been Frans
Hals'
pupil. This painting bears a strong resemblance to a self-portrait
by
Ostade and also appears to be the model for an engraved print
titled as
representing Ostade. The occasion for this commission may have been
Ostade's election in 1647 as a head of the guild.

Hals depicted his fellow artist as a refined gentleman wearing
fashionable apparel denoting professional success. Gloves, for
example,
were an essential feature of seventeenth-century social decorum.
Ostade has
removed the glove from his right hand, the one used in greeting.
His bare
right palm, open to the viewer, reinforces his forthrightness.